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Is the MMR vaccine effective?

Yes

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MMR vaccine is a highly effective vaccine with a proven safety record. It is highly effective in diseases such as Measles, Mumps and Rubella. It is usually given in two doses, the first dose at 12-15 months of age and the second dose between 4-6 years. The teenagers are given a booster dose at 13 years of age.

No vaccine is 100 percent safe when you discuss its side effects. However, MMR vaccine has comparatively fewer side effects where as its efficacy is 99 percent if the children had completed two doses of immunization. Even with a single dose, the vaccine protection level is up to 90 percent.

There should not be any speculation against the usage of vaccine. Instead, we have to bear in mind that the risks of the disease (if you do not take the vaccine) outweighs the risks of the vaccine (if you have taken the vaccine). Therefore, our question here is are we allowing the children or adults to be exposed to the infection and its serious side effects by allowing ourselves to restrain from the vaccination or not.

The vaccine must not be administered in certain conditions, such as:

Known allergic reactions to any of the components of the vaccine.
In high fever, better to delay the vaccination
Child is suffering from cancer or on an immunosuppressive therapy.
If the person has had a vaccination with an immunoglobulin within 3 months.
If a person had received another live viral vaccine within 3 weeks, e.g. Extra Polio drops.

Adverse reactions or side effects to the vaccine is less, but includes:
Fever
Measles like rash.
Allergic reactions
Mumps like symptoms
In some instances, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP (1 in 22,300: Actual exposure to the disease causes ITP 1in 3000 for rubella and 1 in 6000 for measles). This shows that the natural disease causes more incidences of ITP than vaccinated cases.

Learn more about this author, Bindu Thomas Thycad.
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